Automatic control of electric locomotives



Jan. 23, 1951 HEIDMANN 2,538,363

AUTOMATIC CONTROL OF ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES Filed July 21, 1947 L vvw Patented Jan. 23, 1951 AU'EQMATIG =GON'1ROLOE- ELEGTRIG.

' LDGOMOTIVES Leon' Heid'mann; Jeumont; France; assignor' to" Soci'ete' Anonyme dite: Forges et= Atelier-s de- Constimctions Electriques (1e Jeumontj Paris, Erance; amorporation of France:

Application luly- 21, 1947;..Ser1'aI'Nm762428;

In France February 25; 1942 Section .1; Eubli'c'Law 690L A11 11stf8g19462 Patentnexpires Februarx 25,1962

4" Claims.

Thc'present inventionarelatestothe automatic control equipment of; electric locomotives and the likeaas- Well astmthe means ofoperating the same.

The. construction of such v automatic equipment presents:seriousdifiiculties since ityinvolves a very large number of notches and a.- plura-lity of" couplings. having to correspond. to special operativeeconditions; such-as .aivery smoothvariiaticnof. thertractivezeffort, providing numerous various; automatic: or semi-automatic operating programs, and securing safety. features involving a, large number; of= difierentinterlockingsl. On theeotheryhand' the. control: of such. automatic locomotive" equipment has to. be simple,. com venient-and safe.

Itiispracticallyimpossible to fulfill. Without/ex: cessivee complexity all. of; these. conditions if. in-.- dividual contactors with la single main controller are' zused; asis-generally the. case. in 'known. electrio locomotives:

Automatic equipment having two separate camvsha-ft controllers as-disclos=edi in applicants copending application Ser. Number 262.431.,filed July;*2l-,. 1947. now- P.atent'2,5 214,34 8, issued.-0.c.- tuber 3, 1950,. have been. built, but such two-e controller arrangements are not= flexible enough and do not sufliciently. simplify the. equipment therca'secflfi very complex. operating. programs of lorgeand nor 'er railroad locomotives.

main current contactors.-. of. theequipments are grouped; to: form. three separate. automatically driven. main. controllers .with'quite: distinct-inne tions, as follows:

Besides a: conventionalcoupling. controllerfor- 1 effecting the difierent: couplingsiofl the. traction The present: invention: hasfor: an: object. to

simplify the equipment, to. reduce its bulk and cost andltodncreaseits: flexibility and adapte abilitm Another. object .of. theinve-ntiom istor provide a. new; general design of. th e. equipment. wherein thewcontactors oi. the cam-onerated1type..- are grouped. and. associated;;.according, to. their. re-.- spective functionsto form atleast three separate main. controllers. having different functions. and driven separatelv in both directions. by individual step-by-step operating-*pilOt-motors:

A further object of the invention is to provide a" general lay-out of themairr controllersan (1 of thecontrol means associated with thorn in such a? way that ad stinct simplifying and an importantueductiorr of voiume; weight and cost of equipment are* attained; For" example;- in conventional? locomotive equipment com-prising individual and" non grouped contactors there" motors, such asseries;v series pa-rallel and'pa-ralleL. and I a :conventional rheostatic controller; act;- ing. upon. the. starting;- and braking; resistances of? the traction motors, there is..-provided@a special third main controller. for. shunting-and-Tegenerate ing, which is adapted to a-cteupon the. fieldssoixthe traction-motors;

Each of the above main -controllers-comprises in addition. to its/main; contactors, a? plurality" of auxiliary interlocking, and. control fingerse and segments f arming, an auxiliary controller.

The-attached drawing is a simplified diagram:- matical. drawing illustrating one: possible comstruction of the: equipment. according; to thev invention:.

As-shownv inuthe attacheddiagram, (31161819013 10 equipment-receives *c-urrent from--.the .-pantograph l throughthegeneral circuit breaker 2.-and="the main protective -contactors-.3-;. A'- certain-number of traction motorsM M21. cooperateswithia p ural tyof re istances i- 153 provided? for: starting,

braking and regulation;. and- With at leastone of suitable traction control relays and a source such as a storage battery I5 for energizing the interlocking and control circuits. The advance of the controller I is regulated by a conventional acceleration relay of the locomotive mounted at I 4.

The handle E1? of the master controller 5 is provided for varying the ampere-turns of this acceleration relay through the intermediary of a control resistance r1 connected in parallel across the relay winding. Another control resistance T2 is provided for regulating the field windings e 'of the braking excitor E.

The master controller 5 comprises a conventional regulating handle C controlling the notches S, SP and P of the various motor couplings and the notches Rec for regenerative braking; I is a reverse handle and E13 a handle provided for modifying the tractive effort or the braking effort of the motors.

The handle E17 is provided for short-circuiting more or less the resistances n and 12, as follows:

When the regulating handle is in any of its motoring positions S, SP or P, the handle E17 is reducing the value of the rheostat n which is interconnected in a known manner with the acceleration relay A to modify the response of this relay, whereby the positive tractive effort of the locomotive is adjusted at will.

' When the handle C is in any of its braking positions Rec, the above handle E77 is acting upon the value of the field rheostat T2 of the braking excitor E, whereby the negative tractive eiiort in regenerative braking is adjusted.

' Thus, the position of the handle E1? is always determining the torque of the traction motors.

Each of the main controllers comprises two portions: A main portion, which is shown by the lower rectangles 6, I and 8, comprises a plurality of contactors, of the mechanical type operated by a cam-shaft which is driven step-by-step in both directions by a corresponding pilot-motor I0, II or I2. The other portion, schematically indicated by smaller rectangles 6', l or 8 may comprise each an auxiliary drum controller with conventional segments and fingers connected to appropriate control and interlocking circuits. I These auxiliary circuits receiving power from the battery I and suitably interconnecting the master controller 5, the auxiliary controllers Ii, '1' and 8, the sets of relays I3 and M and the field e of the excitor E, are shown diagrammatically by the connection cables IS. The auxiliary circuits provided for controlling the pilot motors I0, II, and IZ-which are assumed to be electrical, but may be of a different type-are schematically shown by the connection cable I1.

The reverser 9 which also comprises an auxiliary drum D for the interlocking circuits, is shown as being mechanically controlled by the coupling controller 6. For this purpose there is provided'such a mechanical connection that if the controller 6 rotates in the normal (or forword) direction, the reverser 9 remains immovable, and to operate the reverser, the controller 6 has to effect one or more steps in the reverse direction.

The mechanical arrangement of the described equipment in a locomotive body may correspond for instance to my copending application No. 760,881, filed July 14, 1947, which shows a general lay-out of the three main controllers, their respective pilot-motors, the master controllers, the rheostats, the reverser, etc.

As to the detailed arrangement and intercom nection of the auxiliary circuits I6 and IT and the groups of relays I3 and I4, they are not the object of the present invention and will depend upon the desired operation program of the locomotive.

Whatever these details may be, it will be understood that by provision of three separately and automatically driven main controllers for distinct functions, which are specialized as described above, instead of two controllers as usual, a much greater variety of combined step-by-step operations can be obtained, whereby the flexibility and adaptability of the locomotive are substantially improved.

On the other hand, the practical experience has shown that in spite of the increased number of main controllers, the equipment is substantially simplified.

This simplification is due not only to the reduction of the total number of main contactors as stated above. It is obvious that by using three independent and suitably specialized controllers instead of only two, a much greater number of different combined operations can be obtained; all necessary operations are thus effected merely by those controllers, without any additional apparatus, such as switches, separate contactors, auxiliary drums and other heavy current devices which are generally used in electric locomotives.

Thereby the overall size, weight and cost of the new equipment are substantially reduced.

I claim:

1. In an automatic control equipment for electric locomotives having a master controller, a reverser and cam-operated contactors provided for motor coupling, rheostatic control and field control, means for reducing the number of saidtactors, the first including all said motor coupling contactors, the second all said rheostatic control contactors and the third is formed by all said field control contactors, the said reverser having the form of a drum adapted to be driven by repeated return movements of said first main controller.

2. In an automatic control equipment according to claim 1 auxiliary drum controllers mechanically associated with each ofsaid three main controllers and with said reverser and in terconnected with the control and interlocking circuits of the locomotive.

3. In an automatic control equipment for electric locomotives having a master controller, a conventional braking'excitor, a braking control resistance inserted into the field circuit of said excitor and three separate main controllers driven by pilot-motors, means for controlling in regenerative braking the negative tractive effort of the locomotive, comprising upon said master controller, a regulating, handle with starting, shunting and braking notches, a reverse handle and a special tractive effort handle for modifying in braking the value of, said braking control resistance, whereby the negative tractive effort is separately adjusted. I

4. In an automatic control equipment according to claim 3, means for separately controlling in motoring the positive tractive effort of the locomotive, comprising a conventional accelera tion relay and an additional adjustable control resistance connected in parallel across the relay coil for modifying theresponse of said relay, said 5 6 additional resistance being adapted. to be 0011- UNITED STATES PATENTS trolled by said tractive effort handle upon said Number Name Date master 617 601 Potter Jan 10 1899 LEON HEIDMANN- 618,054 Case Jan. 24, 1899 5 1,291,583 Martis et a1. Jan. 14, 1919 REFERENCES CITED 1,365,317 Hall Jan. 11, 1921 The following references are of record in the 2,041,5 0 Trifle May 9, 93

file of this patent: 2,318,331 Purifoy May 4, 1943 

